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Monthly Archives: July 2013

Let’s be honest, when you think of an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie does the term ‘leading lady’ come to mind? No, in fact of almost all of Schwarzenegger films the ‘leading lady’ has had quite a little to do, add to that any lack of character development or story arc and you have some fairly unforgettable roles. In fact, most of these ‘leading ladies’ failed to make a mark in Hollywood even after starring in a movie with one of it’s biggest stars.

Here at Media Devour we stop at nothing to uncover the truth, go behind the curtain, and look into those dark corners…and we ask you to consider the evidence: Is there an Arnold Schwarzenegger Curse?

Like, comment, share your thoughts in the area below and be sure to send me suggestions for my next ‘Consider the Evidence’ case file.

Sandahl Bergman: After starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger in ‘Conan the Barbarian’ Sandahl had bit parts in 80’s and 90’s TV shows like ‘Moonlighting’, ‘Dirty Dancing’, ‘Cheers’, ‘Designing Women’ & ‘Swamp Thing’. She also had a role in ‘Red Sonja’ as Queen Gedren. In her last credited role she played Dancer in 2003’s ‘The Singing Detective’.

Grace Jones: The only one of Schwarzenegger’s leading ladies to become a Bond girl, Grace Jones starred as May Day in ‘A View to a Kill’ as a followup to her role of Zula in ‘Conan the Destroyer’. Already an accomplished singer and model, Jones tried her hand at acting, but her biggest role still remains May Day. From there she had forgettable roles in such films as ‘Cyber Bandits’, ‘Palmer’s Pick Up’ and the TV movie ‘Wolf Girl’. Still, she remains one of Schwarzenegger’s ‘less cursed’ leading ladies.

Linda Hamilton: Starring in two of Schwarzenegger’s biggest films, Hamilton is easily one of the most memorable of leading ladies. She was already an established star by the time she made ‘The Terminator’, having major roles in TV series like ‘Hill Street Blues’, ‘King’s Crossing’, & ‘Secrets of Midland Height’, she had just finished the horror film ‘Children of the Corn’ before ‘The Terminator’ was released. The film was not a initial success at the time, but she went on to star in a few more films and the flop of a sequel ‘King Kong Lives’. She hit the big time with the (then) modern day re-telling of the classic story ‘Beauty and the Beast’ which went on to become a cult favorite, she also starred in the family friendly movie ‘Mr. Destiny’. It was in 1991 that the Terminator franchise took off when ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’ was a massive hit. However her career never took off like Schwarzenegger’s did. She starred in one more major blockbuster, ‘Dante’s Peak’, before she was relegated to the back bench with shows like ‘The New Batman Adventures’ (voice only), ‘Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples’, & ‘On the Line’. Since then it has been false start TV pilots, DTV movies and bit parts on other TV series.

(Buff) Linda Hamilton: Starring in two of Schwarzenegger’s biggest films, Hamilton is easily one of the most memorable of leading ladies. She was already an established star by the time she made ‘The Terminator’, having major roles in TV series like ‘Hill Street Blues’, ‘King’s Crossing’, & ‘Secrets of Midland Height’, she had just finished the horror film ‘Children of the Corn’ before ‘The Terminator’ was released. The film was not a initial success at the time, but she went on to star in a few more films and the flop of a sequel ‘King Kong Lives’. She hit the big time with the (then) modern day re-telling of the classic story ‘Beauty and the Beast’ which went on to become a cult favorite, she also starred in the family friendly movie ‘Mr. Destiny’. It was in 1991 that the Terminator franchise took off when ‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day’ was a massive hit. However her career never took off like Schwarzenegger’s did. She starred in one more major blockbuster, ‘Dante’s Peak’, before she was relegated to the back bench with shows like ‘The New Batman Adventures’ (voice only), ‘Rescuers: Stories of Courage: Two Couples’, & ‘On the Line’. Since then it has been false start TV pilots, DTV movies and bit parts on other TV series.

Brigitte Nielsen: Technically not a Schwarzenegger film, since the title character and main lead is Danish actress & model Brigitte Nielsen. Arnold only signed up for nothing more than a glorified cameo, as a favor to producer Dino De Laurentiis. Much to his surprise, he was stuck on the set for four weeks, three weeks longer than expected, and discovered after watching a rough cut of the movie that his role was basically filled out to that of the co-star, thanks to crafty angles and multiple cameras being used. Schwarzenegger decided not long after to try and terminate his 10 year contract with De Laurentiss. That aside, Nielsen never had a breakout role beyond this cult classic. She had bit parts in ‘Rocky IV’, ‘Cobra’ & ‘Beverly Hills Cop II’.

Rae Dawn Chong: The daughter of Tommy Chong and Maxine Sneed, Rae Dawn was already an established actress before she made ‘Commando’ with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The same year as ‘Commando’ she played the part of Squeak in ‘The Color Purple’, easily one of her most memorable films. After ‘The Color Purple’ Chong had bit parts in shows like ‘Melrose Place’, ‘The Outer Limits’ & ‘Highlander’. Her celebrity radar blipped again between 2002 and 2004 when she had regular roles in ‘Zoe Busiek: Wild Card’ & Mysterious Ways’.

Kathryn Harrold: Having just barely survived the experience that was the TV series ‘MacGruder and Loud’, a show that was a folly that cost ABC dearly. The network created the series as their answer to CBS’s cop-buddy hit Cagney & Lacey with the twist that it was a secret affair between a policeman and his policewoman partner. ABC spent millions and heavily hyped the show for three months with non-stop ads on television and in print and made its premiere an event by having it follow Super Bowl XIX. The premiere got a huge audience despite dreadful early reviews but the ratings didn’t hold and the following week it dropped to #34 in the ratings and continued to plummet until ABC pulled the show after only three months. Could this event have been a precurser to the dreded Schwarzenegger curse?

Elpidia Carrillo: Starring in mainly Mexican films until ‘Predator’, Carrillo followed that film up with ‘Miami Vice’, ‘Midnight Caller’, ’21 Jump Street’ and even a minor role in ‘Predator 2’. However she never managed to reach the same heights of success and visibility that ‘Predator’ brought her.

Maria Conchita Alonso: Working primarily in the Latin market, one of Elpidia Carrillo’s early TV roles was ‘Knight Rider’, however ‘The Running Man’ was her biggest role up until that point. Her next big project is the TV-Movie ‘Arachnaconda’.

Gina Gershon: Easily one of the most beautiful of Schwarzenegger’s leading ladies, Gershon’s first big role was in ‘Red Heat’. Gershon followed that up the same year with the role of Coral in ‘Cocktail’, it was then that the ‘Schwarz-Curse’ began to take full effect as she was cast in ‘Cop Rock’, had her scenes cut out of ‘Jungle Fever’ and landed a role in ‘Showgirls’. All seemed lost until 1997 when she landed a role in ‘Face/Off’ and then lent her voice to ‘Tripping the Rift’, ‘Family Guy’, ‘American Dad!’ & ‘The Batman’. Could Gershon have worked her way out of the ‘Schwarz-Curse’?

Kelly Preston: The future wife of John Travolta was already a veteran of TV and film with roles in ‘Hawaii Five-O’, ‘Quincy M.E.’, ‘CHiPs’, ‘SpaceCamp’ & ‘Amazon Women on the Moon’. After ‘Twins’ the Schwarz-curse was clealy in full effect as she was relegated to small no-bit roles in various large and small screen roles. She did have some success in films like ‘From Dusk Till Dawn’ and ‘Jerry Maguire’, but things clearly fell apart when she starred in ‘Javk Frost’ and one of the most widely regarded worst film of the 20th century, ‘Battlefield Earth’. From there she had small roles in shows like ‘Fat Actress’ and ‘Medium’.

Rachel Ticotin: Rachel’s previous work just before ‘Total Recall’ was a TV Movie named ‘Spies, Lies & Naked Thighs’….nuff said. However Ticotin did have some success after ‘Total Recall’; She had a role in ‘Natural Born Killers’, although her scenes were cut (the curse?!) and he had a fairly significant role in the Nicholas Cage film ‘Con Air’. You may have also seen her in the TV show ‘Skins’ or the Denzel Washington film ‘Man on Fire’, she also had a long stint on the TV show ‘Law & Order: Los Angeles’. She is one of the least likely touched by the ‘Schwarz-Curse’.

Sharon Stone: Ah Sharon Stone, the one-time sexpot of the 90’s 2 years before starring in the (in)famous 1992 film ‘Basic Instinct’ (and the interogation scene) she was cast as Arnold’s fake wife in ‘Total Recall’. By 1990 Stone was already a veteran of the large and small screen with roles on such shows as ‘T.J. Hooker’, ‘Magnum, P.I.’, ‘Remington Steele’ and ‘Silver Spoons’ and films like ‘Above the Law’, ‘Action Jackson’ & ‘Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol’. It was after working with Schwartzanegger that her career took a slightly wonky turn, save for ‘The Quick and the Dead’ and ‘Casino’ Stone was cast in box office bombs like ‘Diabolique’ and ‘Sphere’. She hit rock bottom when she was cast as Laurel Hedare in 2004 incredible flop ‘Catwoman’. She even tried her hand at reviving the magic with a sequel to ‘Basic Instinct’ called, amazingly enough, ‘Basic Instinct 2’.

Penelope Ann Miller: Penelope Ann Miller already had an extensive resume when she joined Schwarzanegger in ‘Kindergarten Cop’, she was in several 80’s and 90’s TV shows like ‘The Facts of Life’, ‘Family Ties’ and the 1987 movie ‘Adventures in Babysitting’. ‘Cop’ however could be seen as her biggest role to date (‘The Freshman’ not withstanding, because, well, its horrible). After ‘Kindergarten Cop’ the schwartz-curse was in full effect as she Miller starred in several bombs including ‘Other People’s Money’, ‘

DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg had this to say about the poor performance of his animated film “Turbo”

“The film’s soft opening was a clear result of an oversaturated marketplace and difficult release date,” he said during a conference call with analysts and Wall Street to discuss the company’s strong second quarter results, thanks mostly to the success of “The Croods.” “It was a bad date.

We had an unprecedented jam up of animation releases,” Katzenberg told Variety. “We’ve never had anything remotely like this before. We don’t see this again for several years, if we see it at all.

Still DreamWorks believes “Turbo” “will be a profitable film for us,” Katzenberg said. “It’s a hit everywhere in the world, except for one territory (the U.S.).”

THE SEQUEL TO 2 GUNS, NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES! Trench was a deepcover DEA agent. Steadman was an undercover Naval Intelligence officer. Now, after racing headlong across the Southwest, desperately outrunning Feds and mobsters alike while trying to clear their names, Trench and Steadman are pulled into another impossible situation: brokering gun deals between the Russians and antigovernment revolutionaries…from opposite sides. And little do they know, a Third Gun has her eyes set on the ultimate prizeand she won't go down without a fight. Creator Steven Grant (DAMNED, PUNISHER: CIRCLE OF BLOOD) returns along with original series cover artist Rafael Albuquerque (AMERICAN VAMPIRE) for more actioncomedy thrills!

ROBBING A BANK IS EASY, IT'S THE GETAWAY THAT'S HARD The bank is surrounded by police officers, alarms are blaring, customers and employees are screaming, and the streets are blocked off. So what's the solution? Kill everyone in town!

The Polymath is murdering everyone in his path and laying waste to the city. John Dusk is determined to take him down again, but how can you stop a madman that is immune to every form of violence he's faced in the past? Heroes fall, legends die, and innocents are buried beneath the tides of violence. The body count continues to build as CHRISTOS GAGE returns to his violent crime filled and adrenaline fueled world.

The viral campaign for ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ has begun, first we saw that awesome sentinel head at Comic-Con, now some artwork and a corporate video for Trask Industries, the company that designs and creates the Sentinels, an army of robots designed to detect and kill all mutants.

In the Comics:

Bolivar Trask was an anthropologist who saw the rise of mutants as a threat to humanity. Bolivar was also the father of Larry Trask, who ironically is revealed to be a mutant precognitive. Bolivar had realized this, and gave his son a medallion which suppresses his power. Bolivar’s other child, Tanya, was also a mutant and her ability to travel through time causes her to vanish. Tanya would be rescued by Rachel Summers in a far future and become a part of the Askani under the alias Madame Sanctity. Tanya’s travels through time would result in property damage to Trask’s land. This mysterious situation would only further cement his attitudes.

Bolivar decides that humanity has to fight back against the mutants and develops robotic guardians for humanity, known as the Sentinels. His son Larry was protected from the Sentinels’ ability to detect mutants due to the medallion Bolivar had given him. Bolivar publishes articles on the threat of mutants. One of these articles showed an illustration of mutant overlords keeping humans as slaves. This illustration would become a symbol for human/mutant relations and several years later Quentin Quire and his Omega Gang would base their appearance on this picture.

In the Movies:

Bill Duke portrays Secretary Trask in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’. Here, he is the head of the Department of Homeland Security. While a holographic Sentinel does appear in the film as part of a Danger Room session, Trask has no (presumed) connection to the Sentinels. However, he does appear connected with the ongoing adaptation of human weapons and tactics to mutant threats. It is also notable that in the comics, Trask is of a Caucasian ethnic background while the actor who portrays him in ‘X-Men: The Last Stand’ is African American. Also notable is that the film’s version of Trask seems to have no real hatred of mutants and is merely doing his job, as opposed to his comic-book incarnation that took great pleasure in making deadlier weapons to use against mutants.

Peter Dinklage will portray Bolivar Trask as the main antagonist in ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’. Peter Hayden Dinklage is an American actor. Since his breakout role in The Station Agent (2003), he has appeared in films such as Elf (2003), Find Me Guilty (2006), Underdog (2007), Death at a Funeral (2007) (and its 2010 remake), The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), and Ice Age: Continental Drift (2012). Since 2011, he has starred as Tyrion Lannister in the HBO series Game of Thrones, which earned him the Emmy and the Golden Globe Award for Supporting Actor.

Double vinyl LP pressing including bonus CD edition. 2013 release, the Country/Folk duo’s highly anticipated sophomore album. This self-titled full-length is the follow up to the three-time Grammy Award-winning duo’s acclaimed debut, Barton Hollow. The Civil Wars was recorded in Nashville between August 2012 and January 2013. Charlie Peacock was once again at the helm as producer for the album. Additionally, Rick Rubin produced the duo’s performance for the track “I Had Me a Girl” in August of 2011. Peacock later completed the track by producing the instrumentation and mix. The album was recorded amidst a grueling touring schedule, exhausting workload and a growing disconnect from their families.

Limited 180gm colored vinyl LP pressing of the soundtrack to this 1985 cult horror flick. Composer Richard Howard Band has scored more than 70 films, including From Beyond, which won the award for Best Original Soundtrack at the Catalonian International Film Festival in Sitges, Spain. His score for Re-Animator was lauded by the magazine Music From The Movies, which said, ”Band’s music is dark and direct, creating an intense and eerie atmosphere, but always with a humorous touch”. Recorded in Italy in 1985, the Re-Animator score is performed by the Rome Philharmonic Orchestra. Layers of synth driven beats and eerie tonal figures layered by Richard Band make this score a classic within the horror genre, immediately recognizable amongst fans, and pays tribute to composer Bernard Herman (Psycho, Taxi Driver, Citizen Kane, Cape Fear).

A follow-up to the 2009 release of G.I. JOE: RISE OF THE COBRA, which grossed over $300M worldwide, Paramount Pictures, MGM and Skydance Productions, in association with HASBRO and di Bonaventura Pictures, commences production on G.I. JOE: RETALIATION. In this sequel, the G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence. The film stars D.J. Cotrona, Byung-hun Lee, Ray Park, Adrianne Palicki, Jonathan Pryce, RZA, Ray Stevenson, Channing Tatum with Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson. Directed by Jon M. Chu, and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Brian Goldner, from a screenplay by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick based on Hasbro’s G.I. Joe(R) characters.

While visiting his mother’s grave, lamenting his inability to save her when she was killed in a home invasion when he was a child, Barry Allen—the super-speed superhero known as the Flash—is alerted to a break-in at the Flash Museum by Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Heat Wave, Mirror Master, and The Top. Defeating the Rogues, he discovers that they have been hired by his arch-enemy, the time-traveling Professor Zoom, to lure him in as part of a plan to destroy Central City. With the help of his allies in the Justice League of America, Barry foils Zoom’s plot. The next day, Barry awakens to discover that the world has radically changed around him: his powers have disappeared, his mother is alive, and the Justice League does not exist

Fandom has moved past the Princess Leia metal bikini when it comes to sexy sci-fi cosplay. Today’s cosplayers draw inspiration from more than just sci-fi films, they use video games, television, comics, anime and beyond. They even design original creations from cyberpunk to steampunk and beyond, and cross dressing is not out of the question (sexy Doctor Who costume anyone?). Take a look at some of the images we culled from the web. Be sure to check out Tested.com’s cosplay coverage for even more amazing costumes and other amazing photographs.

Proving the Hugh Jackman and his mutant alter-ego still pack a punch, ‘The Wolverine’ reigned at the box office with an impressive $55 Million dollars. ‘The Conjuring’ came in second, still scaring audiences with $22 Million, meanwhile the minions are still showing (teeny-tiny) legs with ‘Despicable Me 2’ making $16 Million this weekend, its total gross is over $300 Million and rising. ‘Turbo’ and ‘Grown Ups 2’ round out the top 5, as an aside ‘R.I.P.D. still clings to life at 9th place, dropping a staggering -53% from last week. ‘Fruitvale Station’ has gone wide and racked in an impressive $4.6 Million.

Singles from Siamese Dream

About Siamese Dream

The band’s debut album, Gish, was released on Caroline Records in 1991 to unexpected success and acclaim. After the release of Nirvana’s Nevermind later that year, The Smashing Pumpkins were hyped as “the next Nirvana”. The band was signed to Caroline Records parent Virgin Records and began recording a follow-up album. Frontman Billy Corgan felt “this great pressure to make the next album set the world on fire”. The immense pressure to succeed intensified an already problematic situation: drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was undergoing an increasingly severe addiction to heroin, guitarist James Iha and bassist D’arcy Wretzky had recently ended their romantic relationship and Corgan, aside from battles with weight gain and suicidal depression, was suffering from his worst-ever bout of writer’s block.

Siamese Dream was recorded mainly between December 1992 and March 1993. The band relocated to Triclops Studios in Marietta, Georgia for the album sessions, so they could avoid local friends and distractions, and to cut Chamberlin off from his known drug connections. Butch Vig reprised his role as producer after working on their debut album Gish.

What the Critics Said

While Gish had placed the Smashing Pumpkins on the “most promising artist” list for many, troubles were threatening to break the band apart. Singer/guitarist/leader Billy Corgan was battling a severe case of writer’s block and was in a deep state of depression brought on by a relationship in turmoil; drummer Jimmy Chamberlin was addicted to hard drugs; and bassist D’Arcy and guitarist James Iha severed their romantic relationship. The sessions for their sophomore effort, Siamese Dream, were wrought with friction — Corgan eventually played almost all the instruments himself (except for percussion). Some say strife and tension produces the best music, and it certainly helped make Siamese Dream one of the finest alt-rock albums of all time. Instead of following Nirvana’s punk rock route, Siamese Dream went in the opposite direction — guitar solos galore, layered walls of sound courtesy of the album’s producers (Butch Vig and Corgan), extended compositions that bordered on prog rock, plus often reflective and heartfelt lyrics. The four tracks that were selected as singles became alternative radio standards — the anthems “Cherub Rock,” “Today,” and “Rocket,” plus the symphonic ballad “Disarm” — but as a whole, Siamese Dream proved to be an incredibly consistent album. Such compositions as the red-hot rockers “Quiet” and “Geek U.S.A.” were standouts, as were the epics “Hummer,” “Soma,” and “Silverfuck,” plus the soothing sounds of “Mayonaise,” “Spaceboy,” and “Luna.” After the difficult recording sessions, Corgan stated publicly that if Siamese Dream didn’t achieve breakthrough success, he would end the band. He didn’t have to worry for long — the album debuted in the Billboard Top Ten and sold more than four million copies in three years. Siamese Dream stands alongside Nevermind and Superunknown as one of the decade’s finest (and most influential) rock albums. ~ Greg Prato

Say farewell to the Ponds all over again. Meet the enigmatic Clara for the first time – and the second, and the third. Face enemies new and old, follow the Doctor (Matt Smith) to the one place he should never go, and learn the secret to a really great soufflé. With a cliffhanger ending that will leave fans breathless, this set arrives just in time to catch up before the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Special on November 23, and the Doctor’s regeneration in this year’s Christmas Special.

In the first part of series seven, the Ponds (Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill) make their final voyages with the Doctor. They save a spaceship full of dinosaurs, don Stetsons in the Wild West and are even kidnapped by the Doctor’s oldest foe. But when they arrive in Manhattan the Weeping Angels are waiting for them – and the Doctor has to say goodbye to his companions forever.

The 2012 Christmas special, The Snowmen, brings the Doctor a new friend (Jenna Coleman) in Victorian London – but has he already met her before? And will she be able to pull him from his mourning in time to save London from the chilling menace that threatens it? The final eight episodes of series seven see the Doctor and his new companion battle monsters on distant alien planets, become trapped in a Russian submarine with a deadly passenger, chase terrifying ghosts, and come face-to-face with an army of upgraded Cybermen. When his friends are kidnapped, the Doctor and Clara are forced to visit the fields of Trenzalore, where the question that must never be answered is finally asked… and the Doctor uncovers the secret of the Impossible Girl.

The incredible list of guest stars includes John Hurt (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy), Warwick Davis (Willow, the Harry Potter films), Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones), David Warner (Titanic, TRON), Dougray Scott (Hemlock Grove, Ever After: A Cinderella Story), Ben Browder (Farscape), David Bradley (Game of Thrones), Jessica Raine (Call The Midwife, The Woman in Black), the mother-daughter duo of Dame Diana Rigg (Game of Thrones) and Rachael Stirling (Women in Love, Snow White and the Huntsman), and the voice of Sir Ian McKellen (The Lord of The Rings films). The episodes are written by lead writer and executive producer Steven Moffat, as well as Neil Gaiman, Mark Gatiss, Neil Cross, Chris Chibnall, Toby Whithouse and Stephen Thompson.

Michael Regina has spent over a decade deep within the internet fanboy zeitgeist. Directors such as Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, King Kong) and Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labrynth, Hellboy) rely on him to reach out to their fan base and be their mouthpiece in order to relay news and quash rumors. The fans flock to his scoop filled websites (TheOneRing.net, KongisKing.net) for behind the scenes goodies and spoiler filled stories. Straddling the line between ultimate geek and Hollywood insider, Michael has effectively brought A-List access to everyone's computer screen.
Rdio